AdvertisementUS-China relationsChinaDiplomacy
US-China policy under Donald Trump is heading for ‘unpredictable drift’: expert
Beijing is said to face complex double-edged calculus amid contrasting approaches of American president and Washington establishment
3-MIN READ3-MIN Listen
Cao Jiaxuanin BeijingPublished: 7:30pm, 4 Jun 2026Updated: 7:41pm, 4 Jun 2026Soon after Donald Trump concluded a visit to China that he hailed as a great success, America’s top diplomat joined his Indian, Japanese and Australian counterparts in New Delhi for a meeting of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue.At the meeting on May 26, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the foreign ministers launched the Quad Critical Minerals Initiative Framework, a strategic push to curb global reliance on Beijing for rare earth elements. Member states are pooling up to US$20 billion for the mechanism.
On the security front, the bloc, which was formed nearly two decades ago to counter China’s rising prominence in the Indo-Pacific, unveiled a maritime surveillance collaboration initiative to integrate the member states’ regional information sharing.
Advertisement
In addition, an energy security initiative was introduced to bolster regional fuel networks, alongside a pilot port infrastructure project in Fiji.
The developments came after Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping reached an agreement during the US president’s state visit in mid-May to pursue a constructive relationship of “strategic stability”.AdvertisementAdvertisementSelect VoiceSelect Speed00:0000:001.00x